This definition from Wikipedia might sound a bit complicated, but don't worry—we're here to break it down in simpler terms. In this article, we'll explain what RPA is, how it works, and the different ways it can be used. We'll also discuss how RPA can enhance automation in businesses and support growth. Whether you are involved in RPA development or just curious about its applications, this article will provide you with useful information.
"Robotic process automation (RPA) is a form of business process automation that is based on software robots (bots) or artificial intelligence (AI) agents." — Wikipedia.
What Is RPA (Robotic Process Automation)?
RPA (Robotic Process Automation) fundamentally means task automation. It deploys software robots to mimic human actions and execute tasks such as data entry, appointment scheduling, and moving data between systems. The primary aim is to free humans from time-consuming, repetitive tasks, allowing them to engage in more valuable and strategic activities. There are three main types of RPA:
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Attended Automation: It’s designed to assist employees by automating specific steps within a process. These robots are user-initiated and provide real-time assistance, thereby enhancing employee productivity.
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Unattended Automation: Operate independently without human intervention. These robots are programmed to autonomously execute tasks and processes, often scheduled or triggered by specific events. They work round-the-clock, efficiently and accurately completing repetitive and high-volume tasks, greatly reducing the need for human oversight.
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Hybrid Automation: Combine both attended and unattended automation, leveraging the strengths of each. This approach allows for end-to-end process automation that requires both human involvement and autonomous execution, achieving greater flexibility and efficiency.
The Benefits of Robotic Process Automation
Companies adopt RPA primarily because RPA services can enhance productivity, optimize performance, integrate new technologies, generate higher returns, and facilitate business processes throughout the organization. The integration of the latest technologies like AI, ML, OCR, and analytics with RPA is boosting performance. In the future, intelligent automation will eliminate most of the help desk interactions.
How Does RPA Work?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) automates tasks by accessing information from existing IT systems and integrating with current applications. Software robots can understand on-screen content, complete keystrokes, navigate systems, recognize and extract data, and perform a variety of defined actions. Compared to humans, these software robots can complete tasks faster, more consistently, and without the need for breaks.
From omaemirates
With the widespread use of AI across industries, the combination of AI and RPA has made RPA smarter, capable of handling more complex and diverse tasks. Regardless of the type of RPA, they generally include the following core functionalities:
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Low-code or no-code automation script building.
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Integration with enterprise applications and systems.
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Front-end integration.
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Configuration, monitoring, and security management.
Robotic Process Automation Use Cases
From grandviewresearch - Robotic process automation market size, 2023 – 2030
Robotic Process Automation Use Cases: RPA & ComIDP
Here are ways RPA enhances document processing, freeing enterprises from the burden of handling tedious document tasks:
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Identify Processes: Enterprises need to first identify highly repetitive and time-consuming document tasks or processes through process mining, such as processing a large number of customer claims forms in the insurance industry. Process discovery tools can help businesses efficiently pinpoint these automatable tasks, enabling them to implement automation.
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Choose RPA Tools: Choose the appropriate RPA tools based on the business needs of the enterprise. Factors to consider when selecting tools include compatibility with existing systems, ease of use, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. It's akin to selecting the most suitable "digital employee" for the enterprise to ensure tasks are executed effectively.
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Develop Robots: This step involves building and training RPA robots. For instance, in the healthcare industry, processing patient Electronic Health Records (EHR) requires robots to automatically extract, organize, and input data from systems. During development, the precise steps the robot needs to complete must be defined, including logging into systems, navigating forms, extracting and inputting data, performing necessary computations, and making decisions based on predefined rules. This is much like writing a detailed operations manual for the robot. RPA developers may need to acquire APIs from third-party providers, like OCR APIs, key information extraction APIs, table extraction APIs, and PDF creation APIs, to facilitate these functions.
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Integration & Testing: For RPA robots to function efficiently, seamless integration with existing systems and applications is necessary. For example, in banking, RPA robots must access various databases and application systems to verify and process loan applications. Integration might involve API calls, screen scraping, and other techniques, similar to providing the robot with keys to enter different systems. Before formal deployment, comprehensive testing of RPA robots is essential. For instance, in the logistics industry, robots will need to handle various test scenarios to ensure they can manage exceptions and avoid errors. By simulating real operational environments, enterprises can ensure robots function as expected, much like conducting thorough training and assessment for new employees.
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Deployment: Once RPA robots pass testing, they can be deployed. This step marks the formal entry of robots into the production environment to perform tasks, which could be scheduled or triggered by specific events.
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Monitoring and Maintenance: Once operational, continuous monitoring and maintenance of robot performance are required. Maintenance may involve regular updates to adapt to system upgrades or process changes, optimizing performance, or resolving issues encountered during operation. This step ensures that robots continue to serve the enterprise efficiently.
Who Is Using RPA Services?
Not only the document processing example above, RPA services are widely utilized across various industries and sectors:
In the insurance sector, RPA could help optimize processes such as claims registration and processing, underwriting, policy management, policy cancellation, regulatory compliance, sales, finance, fraud detection, business analytics, and customer service.
In telecommunications and IT, RPA can enhance application and infrastructure management, automates network tasks, processes invoices and orders, assists with customer onboarding/offboarding, handles inquiries, transforms data, controls costs, boosts first call resolution rates (FCR), manages collections, and supports regulatory compliance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has revolutionized the way businesses operate by efficiently automating routine and repetitive tasks. With advancements in technology, RPA integrated with artificial intelligence can handle more complex tasks, making it indispensable in the corporate environment.